»773« .
A ngùst.
Tuefday 17*
when we were afloat-again, after working for about an
hour and a half. We now took fome refreffiments in a
hurry, and as our fituation was ftill extremely precarious,
in cafe an eafterly wind had come on, we manned the boats
of both Hoops, and were towed off to fea, where we felt
a land-breeze gently fwelling our fails, about five o 'clock.
As foon as we were hire of it, we difpatched the boats to
the afliftance of the Adventure ; but flie had already flipped
her cables, in order to take advantage of the favourable
■ wind, and followed us. We flood off and on all night,
and faw the dangerous reefs illuminated by a number of
fires, by the light of which the natives were fiflnng. One
of the officers retiring to reft, found his bed deprived of
the flieets, which in all probability the fair Marorai had
taken care of, when forfaken by her lover; though ffie
muft have managed this little concern with confiderable ingenuity,
as fhe had appeared on deck before any fufpicion
had fallen upon her.
The next morning we refumed our courfe towards the
fhore, and flood in along the north part of the leffer penin-
fula. We were in a ffiort time furrounded, as the day before,
by the natives, who in a great number of canoes
brought ns abundance of vegetable, but no animal food,
and whofe clamours were fometimes loud enough to ftun
our ears. Thefe canoes very frequently overfet, but the
natives were not much difcompofed by fuch accidents, as
both
both fexes were expert fwimmers, and re-eftabliffied them- Aotfusr.
felves in a moment. Seeing that I enquired for plants,
and other natural curiofities, they brought off feveral,
though fometimes only the leaves without the flowers,
and vice verfa; however, among them we faw the common
fpecies of black night-ffiade, and a beautiful erytbrina
or coral-flower ; I alfo collected by thefe means many
fliells, coralines, birds, &c.
About eleven o’clock we anchored in a little harbour
called O-Aitepeha, on the north-eaft end of the fouthern
or leffer peninfula of Taheitee, named Tiarraboo. Here
the concourfe of natives ftill increafed, and we faw their
canoes coming towards us from all parts. They were
eager to obtain our beads, nails, and knives, for which an
immenfe quantity of their cloth, mats, bafkets, and various
tools, as well as abundance of coco-nuts, bread-fruit, yams,
and bananas were exchanged. Many of them came on
deck, and took the opportunity of conveying away a number
of trifles ; nay, fome went fo far as privately to throw
over board the coco-nuts, which we had already purchafed,
to their comrades, who immediately picked them up, and
fold them to our people again. To prevent our being im-
pofed upon for the future in this manner, the thieves were
turned out of the veffel, and puniffied with a whip, which
they bore very patiently.
The